


Tavern deal

by a_certain_kind_of_dread



Category: Original Work
Genre: Magic, Necromancy, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-09
Updated: 2020-07-17
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25170304
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/a_certain_kind_of_dread/pseuds/a_certain_kind_of_dread
Summary: The prologue of a story of mine;---He spotted the figure hastily following the street, and ran after them. The stranger heard his steps, and turned around, right hand grabbing a stone blade from their side. The hunter grabbed the persons wrist, looking down at the smaller person.„Don’t.“The hunters voice was shaking slightly, and the hooded figure stared at him with glowing eyes. He felt his heart beat quicker when he saw their black fingertips again. He was right.„Follow me. I have an offer.“





	1. Chapter 1

The door of the the tavern was opened, gently, so softly noone noticed it was open until a lightning strike from the stormy night lit up the room. The person closed the door again, walking in with light steps. A hood covered their head, and heavy drops of water witnessed the storm they went through. The people didn’t give much more attention to them, but a lone hunter sitting in a corner stared curiously at the figure. 

„What ya want.“

The bartender was a short woman, curly brown hair in a messy braid with several strands of hair falling over her tired eyes. Her strong accent contrasted her soft appereance, and the figure smiled unnoticably.

„Whiskey, strong.“

The girl raised her eyebrows, and turned to grab a bottle. The figure showed no intention of revealing their face, to the annoyance of the hunter. He watched as the person grabbed the glass, fingers thin, hands wearing fingerless gloves. He sat up straight when he noticed their pinky and ring finger having black tips. 

The person put the cup down gently, to the joy of the bartender. They stood up again, looking over the tavern, gaze seeming to linger on the hunter. They left, leaving as silently as they entered. The hunter jumped up, smashing his hand against the counter before leaving, adding a couple of silver coins next to the payment the stranger left.  
The hunter opened the door violently, and looked around in the heavy rain. It was night, dark and the moon hidden. He spotted the figure hastily following the street, and ran after them. The stranger heard his steps, and turned around, right hand grabbing a stone blade from their side. The hunter grabbed the persons wrist, looking down at the smaller person.

„Don’t.“

The hunters voice was shaking slightly, and the hooded figure stared at him with glowing eyes. He felt his heart beat quicker when he saw their black fingertips again. He was right. 

„Follow me. I have an offer.“

The figure waited until the hunter let their wrist go, and then put their blade back in its sheath. The hunter sighed in relief. He lead them through the village, and stopped in front of a small hut at its edge. He entered, holding the door open for the stranger. They entered, turning to the hunter, and took off their hood, revealing short, dark hair with the left side of their head shaved. 

„What do you want?“

The witch crossed her arms, and the hunter admired silently the black marks climbing up from her neck, behind her ear, onto the left side of her head and on her face.

„A powerful witch, I suppose?“

His gaze lingered to her hand, and she let her arms drop, hiding her hands in her cloak. He walked to a table, and took a sack from it. He gave it to the witch, and she suspiciously took it. She opened it, and her face showed surprise. 

„Seeds, plants, skulls and bones, I travel a lot and walk deep into the woods.“

She closed the sack, and tied it to her hips. He felt his heart beat faster. She accepted.

„What do you wish me to do?“

„You channel the magic of necromancy?“

She nodded, and pulled her hands out of her pockets, playing with her hands insecurely. „When did they perish?“

„Three days ago.“

She pressed her lips together, and sighed deeply. „It is not how you think. I can bring them back, but only as a puppet. They will not be the person you knew.“ Her voice was silent, gentle, as if she tried to console him. Not many knew the true nature of her magic.

„I know. That is what I want.“

She looked around, and noticed a large, bloody sword in the corner. The sword was made out of metal, with a shield made of the same. She looked back at the hunter, and pulled her hood up.

„Show me their grave.“


	2. Chapter 2

They passed the empty village roads, and the witch pulled her Hood further down. She followed the hunter, who seemed very nervous. They passed the main street, and he started leading her to a graveyard. She caught up with him and grabbed his sleeve.

„I can’t perform the ritual with people near.“ 

Her voice was a silent hiss almost lost in the night. The hunter shook his head.

„He’s not buried there.“

The witch tensed up, but touched the sack he gave her on her hip again to reconsider his offer. They passed the graves, and he lead her into the woods. The deeper they went, the darker it became, and she felt extremely uneasy. She felt the magic channel and play around her fingertips, the gloves burning against her skin.   
The hunter stopped, and looked around again. He seemed to have found what he was looking for and moved a large stone away. Beneath, there was a small spot of sand. It seemed oddly strange, in the middle of a forest.

„Here is the corpse.“

The witch looked suspiciously at the marked place, and bent down to touch the earth with her fingertips. He was right. Her gaze darkened.

„Who is this?“

She didn’t stand up, and looked at the hunter, fingers still gently pressed against the dirt. The hunter looked away nervously, struggling to keep his composure.

„An assassin. I killed him. By accident. I need information.“

The witch noticed how he seemed afraid of something, terrified. But she didn’t know if it was because of her magic, or because of what he might find out. She stood up, and walked around the marked spot. She opened the sack he gave her, and looked around again. She took out a small, black stone that seemed to glow slightly around the edges of where her fingers touched it. She seemed satisfied, and placed it in the middle of the pile of sand. She took another sack from her hips, and after pressing her hand against the dirt again started drawing patterns around the grave. After finishing, she looked at the hunter.

„I need a small bird.“

He looked confused.

„Alive?“

She nodded.

„It can be wounded.“

He looked around, and wondered how on earth he could hunt in the night. She seemed to notice his desperation, and closed her eyes for a moment, seemingly annoyed at herself.

„Right. It’s dark. I’ll go. Wait here.“

After what seemed like hours to him, the witch came back, holding a raven in her hands. She whispered something to it, but the bird seemed asleep. She placed it gently on the ground, and the hunter heard sorrow in her voice.

„...may your life be thanked for and soul move on.“

She took her hood off again, and took her gloves off too, folding them and putting them into her bag. He noticed how the black mark was around her wrists and climbing towards her fingertips, with her right pinky and ring finger black as well. It moved up her arm, disappearing under her sleeve. She glanced at him.

„Move away.“ 

He immediately went back several steps, and after he did the witch leaned down again. She put her hands on the earth, and the stone started glowing slightly, barely light enough to stand out against the earth. The bird screeched loudly, but didn’t fly away. The hunter saw how the witches hands became completely black, and the mark on her head spread across her neck. He watched in awe, he had heard of witchcraft and its rituals, but had never seen one.   
The witch dug her hands into the dirt, and the raven started rotting quickly away. The stone seemed to fall apart into dust, and once both were gone, the witch started digging in the middle of the grave. After making a small hole, she stepped back, and the hunter nearly screamed when two hands emerged from it, moving more dirt out of the way. The witch lifted her dirt covered hand, and a corpse, pale, bloated and bleeding stood straight in front her. She moved her hand slightly, and the corpse kneeled. An arrow was in it’s right eye, sticking out and almost completely disappearing in the skull. 

„Ask him.“


	3. Chapter 3

The hunter looked between the corpse and the witch, troubling to start talking. The corpse still kneeled, head turned to the witch but eyes with an empty look in them. The hunter felt slightly sick, seeing maggots crawl around the corpses arm and shoulder.

„Is.. he going to answer me?“

„His spirit is dead, with it his morals. Whatever he knew, the body will tell.“

The hunter looked at the corpse again, thankful it wasn’t looking at him. „Who are you?“

„Gyrith Edsen.“

His voice was disorted, hard to understand. His vocal coards were stiffened from death, now in the starting phase of decay. But they could still understand him, though with a bit of difficuty. The hunter was thankful he found the witch now, while they could understand him at all.

„Who are you working for?“

„Allies. Group. Rebells.“

„What’s their name?“

„Dementhers.“

„Who were you sent to kill?“

The witch looked at the corpse, her fingers twitching slightly, forcing the body to answer again.

„The leader, witch Terek.“

They both stared at the body, stunned by what they heard. The witch made him answer again, but he said the same. She glanced at the hunter, and then at the corpse. The hunter shook his head in disbelief, and stumbled backwarts.

„What had happened. Tell me.“

The hunter looked back at the witch, and met her cold glare. He felt himself shake, and was suddenly aware of just how bad his situation was.

„I was in the woods, heard two guys talking, one mentioned assassination. I followed him but he noticed me, we fought, he attacked me, I had my arrows with me so I grabbed one and stabbed him. I killed him. I didn’t mean to, and I remembered again what they talked about. I buried him and when I saw you, I thought you could help me know who they were talking about. I didn’t know. I...“

He buried his face in his hands, and then grabbed his hair anxiously. He walked in circles as the witch slowly looked at the corpse again.

„Why did you want to kill Terek?“

The hunter stopped, hearing her voice, and turned to face the corpse.

„To put our leader in charge, and eradicate the dangerous ones.“

„Who are the dangerous ones?“

„Witches.“

She tensed up, and it made the corpse twitch and move in a disorted manner.

„Anything else you want to ask him?“

The hunter shook his head slowly, and screeched when the witch suddenly twisted her heands, and the corpse turned around sharply. She made the body convulse and move jerkily, tearing itself into pieces. She moved her hands one more time, and only bones scattered onto the ground.

„We need to warn him. This is bad. Very bad.“

The hunter fell to his knees, shaking violently and he felt tears build up in his eyes. He stared at the remains of the corpse, and a wave of realisation hit him. He had killed him, and he was now one of the only two people knowing about a dangerous group wishing to murder the leader and start a genocide. He turned around and threw up in the bushes.  
The witch had grabbed a sack, and started throwing the bones into it. She winced when she heard the hunter vomiting, and put the sack down. She walked to him, and gently placed a hand on his back. He was still shaking, as pale as the corpse was. She gave him a small dried plant she had carried with her, and he hesitantly took it from her.

„It will help you calm down. It might also get rid of the bad taste.“

She gestured towards the pile of undigested food with a grimace, and left to continue to gather the bones. The hunter slowly ate the plant, delighted that it was sweet in taste. He watched the witch for a short while, and after she had gathered everything she kicked and moved the earth over the salt, and the hunter noticed she had picked up most of the sand in the sack too.

„I got rid of all the evidence I can, it will at least make it harder for them to figure things out. Terek is in the city of Barzuh, which is two days away. You killed him three days ago, so assuming he was supposed to come back, we have one day left before they realise he is missing. Or they knew since yesterday, since Terek is still alive.“  
The hunter nodded, and looked at the heavy sack the witch was holding. He felt like his guts twisted again and again.

„What will you do?“ His voice was slightly hoarse, his mouth painfully dry.

„Go to Barzuh and warn Terek.“

The hunter looked at the grave again, then at the bones, and a hint of colour was back in his face.

„Let us pick up food and water from my home. Do you know how to ride a horse?“

„I do.“

„I will find two for the travel.“

„Two?“

The hunter nodded. „I will leave with you.“


End file.
